By- Meghachandra Kongbam
Imphal,May 23,
Eminent personalities from the Critics Forum, Manipur will share the space of the interaction session to be conducted after screening of every film of the Tunisian Film Festival 2019 to be held at MSDFS Auditorium, Imphal on May 25 and 26, 2019.
On the first day of the festival, Dr. N. Tombi Singh, Advisor of Critics Forum will initiate the interaction session on the first film- Porto Farina directed by Ibrahim Letaief. The film was premiered on Friday, January 18, 2019 and tells the story of a man, Aly in need of a child, refractory to adoption, back in his native country to marry his first cousin.
Sahitya Akademi awardee Yumlembam Ibomcha will interact with the audience on the second film- Mostafa Z directed by Nidhal Chatta. The film traces 24 hours of the life of an ordinary Tunisian, Mustafa, caught up with the absurdity of the system. Mustapha has a tumultuous relationship with his teenage son and his wife who blame him for his lack of ambition and his effaced nature.
Dr. Lamabam Gojendro, President of Critics Forum , Manipur will lead the interaction session of the third film- Shattered Waves directed by Habib Nestiri. The film is about Hassouna, an officer in the French army in spite of himself, is faithful to the cause of the independence of his country. Disregarding the risks, he transmits information to the network of separatist activists.
On the last day of the festival, Dr. I. S. Kangjam, former President of Critics Forum and presently the President of the Manipuri Sahitya Parishad will initiate the interaction session of the film- Whispering Sands directed by Nacer Khmir. The film narrates an encounter in the desert between a lady brought by the tragic past of her family and a guide who discovers, at the end, the dark future of his family.
Dr. N. Premchand, Vice President of Critics Forum, Manipur will interact with the audience on the film-. Visit (El Ziara) directed by Nawfel Saheb Ettabaa. A dreamlike journey of Youssef, 30 years old sick with the amnesia. A girl leads him in front of the “House of the light”, that recalls something in him. He researches the missing piece of memory.
Theatre director Loitongbam Dorendro, Treasurer of the Critics Forum will talk on the last film- Sweet Smell of Spring directed by Ferid Boughedir. Aziz, young unemployed graduate, leaves his village on the border of Sahara for Tunis and becomes installer of satellite dishes on house roofs. One day, while working on the terraces of the beautiful village of Sidi Bou Saïd, he falls madly in love with a girl, who looks locked up by a mafia group close to the regime. The 2-day Tunisian Film Festival is jointly organized by the Federation of Film Societies of India, Film Society of Manipur with the support of Tunisian Embassy in New Delhi and the Manipur State Film Development Society.
The Federation of Film societies of India is organizing the Tunisian Film festival at different cities of the country like Kolkata, Jamshedpur, Imphal, Guwahati, Delhi, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pondicherry, Madurai, Thiruvanathapuram, Kochi, Thrissur and some other places to propagate the film culture of Tunisia country.
M. Lakshmikumar Singh, Commissioner(Art & Culture), Manipur will inaugurate the festival on May 25, 2019 at 2.30 pm at MSFDS Auditorium, Imphal.
